Certainly an interesting platformer with a lot of innovative touches. A little unchallenging on the easy level but with enough variety to keep you wanting to play more. It's biggest problem is it's likely non-english developers have gone the route of trying to appeal to the veteran platformer so as not have to struggle to try and write too many explanations. So for the novice this can be a little frustrating/unfulfilling because there are a lot of things happening here that might perplex the player who isn't experienced with platform games. I would go a little more in the other direction and try and explain more to hold on to a wider audience.

There is one fundamental change the developers could make on that line, and that is to put the help menu on the start up page. I got into the game and just starting going. It was awhile before I hit the escape button and found there were explanations to a lot of these bonuses I was getting from killing the robots, plus other explanations. For instance, why would I even care about picking up some of the tools and what could I do with them. Don't think there was an explanation for the beach ball. LOL

Finally, I wanted to jump up to a higher level of difficulty for this review and replay some of the levels I had completed to see how much more interesting and/or challenging the game got, but couldn't find a way to do so without creating a new player. If it hadn't been so late in the giveaway, I would have done that. But, unless I'm doing something wrong, I don't see any reason why I should have to make a new one.

Btw, Mich looks like a mouse to me. Aramdillo???. Seems to be lacking a shell.


.....................................Moderator Comment..................................

Thanks for your excellent review Watcher. :)

Good game - I have been playing for many hour now and can't seem to stop. Thanks, Game Giveaway of the Day!

Cool game, easy download and install. A little weird on the controls. not sure if it wants me to use keyboard or mouse. So far am using combo of both. Thanks GGAOTD. Always good to see a game on here.

I love this game. I must have missed the first one when it was here so hope it comes around again sometime. This sort of game is good for me but then my son calls me a "noob" so that explains that. Nothing to do with age #12 so not necessarily only for youngsters.

Works fine on windows 7 with either mouse, keyboard or joypad which is my preferred option.


.....................Moderator Comment........................

Thank you for your feedback

The game installed and runs fine on my W7 machine. No problems.

It is a little to cutsie and slow for my tastes.. perhaps it would be better for the younger player. I found the same thing in the earlier version but had to try this one as well.

Thanks Alawar and GOTD. :)

Ok Win 8 x64 Pro. Nice set options, full screen, 3 screen sizes. Maybe just me but character moves bit sluggish on Easy as a test run. Good cold weather game for its bump & run, find & flee kind. Thanks mucho.

Delightful time waster in the tradition of Super Mario Brothers and Sonic. I expect to have hours of fun with this one. Easy to install and activate (XP3) by following the notepad instructions. Don't forget to put a shortcut on your desktop if you don't want to have to look for it to play.

Installed A-OK and activated on Vista Home Prem., X64.
The game is very difficult for me to play, not very intuitive, I have to spend some time to learn how to manuever it. Keep it for now.

I don't get it No game on Saturday, then on Sunday when some people have to go to Church, give a game, then on my low speed of 20-50 KB/Sec ... takes half hour plus ... not GGOTD issue but I just had to mention it.

Thanks WR, & GGOTD Team!

G!:)

..................Moderator Comment.......................

We are at the mercy of the developers and distributors.

Loaded with no problems on my XP SP3. I did shutdown all of my other programs when I activated the game so maybe that is #2's problem. I played it up to lever 4 with no problems and will try to get into it more later. The house is waking up and things are getting pretty busy around here. Oh, BTW, this game does work with my mouse or the direction keys. I used my mouse. Thanks to the team for all the wonderful games and to Stephen for all his help.

Linda

.................................Moderator Comment..........................

Thank you Linda :)

Hello Whiterabbit. No problem with Windows 8 Pro 64bit.

Installed and runs fine on Windows 8 Pro 64-bit.

Gameplay is a bit odd - controls seem mushy and imprecise. I like platform games, but this one doesn't do much for me.

A few comments:

1. Exactly what kind of animal is in that picture? Is it an aardvark or an armadillo?

2. "Running, jumping and bouncing off the heads of enemies" sound like a great cardiovascular workout! The doctor has told me to get my heart rate up. This looks like it will do the job.

3. Would a lil armadillo bouncing off a rogue robot's head really kill it? That's a darn big rogue robot! It's taller than the mountains!

4. Can you kill a rogue robot anyway? They're robots. They aren't alive.

5. I can't wait until I get to the level where I get to hide in a tiny house. That sounds so much like my real life, it's pitiful!

6. I'm up to level 238 in Fishdom which is still the BEST GAME EVER!

7. I can't get pass Day 26 in "Around the World in 80 Days." Darn! Darn! Darn!

This game works fine on XP SP3. Automatically detects a joystick and works with it (2 buttons - one for jumping and 1 for "action"). I purposefully don't have IE8 and WMP 11 installed, so maybe this is what causes some conflicts for others (or a firewall - I run Comodo Internet Security free). Simple Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset on a laptop with a 1,73GHz Celeron 530 CPU and 2.5 GB of RAM. The game's max resolution of 1024x768 is OK (though could be better). The graphics is good, the game is a nice platform one for kids. You run, jump and collect stuff, open some doors, teleport from place to place, avoid "nasties" (or jump on them to convert them into "goodies" you can collect) and in some places enter a "show" where you have some mini games to play. The first one was arkanoid style. I was just checking it out and realized I made it to level 7 in no time at all.
Unlike Whiterabbit's review, my installation meant that the game unzipped to C:\Games\Game_SkyTaxi2 folder and did not create any registry entries, so it's fully transferable and mine to keep. Thanks Alawar and GGAOTD.

.............................Moderator Comment..........................

Ah the installation path. I initially installed the demo so that I could write up the review. The giveaway versions tend to be different to the original. Thanks for pointing that out. :)

Cool - I really enjoyed the first Sky Taxi, so this should be fun as well. Thanks, all. :)

I was hoping this would work, as I enjoyed the first version of this game. Unfortunately, after several attempts to install (that all seem to go well), it quits shortly after starting up with the "Sky Taxi 2.exe has encountered a problem" notice. I'm running Windows XP SP3 with well over the system requirements. I'm not willing to waste any more of my Sunday morning on this, but I wish others better luck.

...............................Moderator comment...........................

Hello Laurel, Did you check theb FAQ's section in the game discussion forums? AAlso check ytour event log to see if a specific error message appeared. It could be a conflict between the game and one of the programs you have running in the background or mabye something as simple as screen resolution. you could try playing it in compatibility mode. TRhere are a few settings you can tweak via the compatibility tab.

Sky Taxi 2: Storm 2012:

In Brief:


Sky Taxi 2: Storm 2012, a side-scroller with 275 levels of running, jumping and bouncing off the heads of enemies. Features simple controls, colorful graphics, and tons of secrets! It's a captivating and relaxing game with many secret rooms and hidden bonuses. as well as mini-games. :)

If you miss todays game giveaway you can still get it for free from MyPlayCity 24/7; though, bear in mind the potential to have your home page changed and toolbars installed, otherwise the game is fine. you can get it HERE

Installation:


Sky Taxi 2: Storm 2012 downloads to a 63.6 MB zip file that unpacks to a read me and a wrapped setup activation file (the orange colored file with the key symbol), plus there's a setup file with security (setup.gcd) that's protected from being hacked. This file may case some security software to alert the user to a possible malware attack, but it will be a false positive.

The game giveaway team check all game giveaways for malware using several well known anti -malware suites. There has never been a game giveaway infected with malware since the project started back in Dec 2006. The installed game is 59.8 MB in size.




C:\Games\Game_SkyTaxi2




No desktop shortcut or start menu/programs shortcut are installed, so make sure you make a note of where the game is being installed to so that you can create one for yourself. Once installed you can delete the giveaway setup files.



I've only tested the game on Win 7 this time around, Anyone running Win 8, Vista or XP, please confirm whether this game works Thanks.

Introduction:

The president wants you to clean up the pollution that's causing insane weather around the world. The only problem: avoiding the rogue robots that are attempting to exterminate anyone who comes near them! In the tradition of the best classic platform games comes Sky Taxi 2: Storm 2012, a side-scroller with 275 levels of running, jumping and bouncing off the heads of enemies. With simple controls, colorful graphics, bonuses, arcade mini-games, and tons of secrets, Sky Taxi 2 will keep you hoppin' and boppin' for months!

Reference accessed HERE 2013

The Game:

Sky Taxi 2 Storm 2012 is the sequel to Sky Taxi, an arcade platform game. Like in the original, you play brave mouse Mich and go on a rescue adventure to save the Earth. As Sky Taxi 2 Storm 2012 opens, it's 2012 and you're in the Rescue Squad office when a call from the President comes in. He has an important job for you and reports that pollution from flying taxis and robots threatens the Earth

Scientists have built a magic wand that turns barrels of waste into fresh air. But all the robots have gone haywire and are out to kill! You must hurry to wipe out the harmful waste and save the world!

Scientists have built a magic wand that turns barrels of waste into fresh air. But all the robots have gone haywire and are out to kill! You must hurry to wipe out the harmful waste and save the world!

Like other platform games such as Alex Gordon, Supercow or Super Granny series, Sky Taxi 2 Storm 2012 features tons of levels filled with many enemies and obstacles. Flying, fire-shooting, ice-throwing robots, robot dogs and all the imaginable gadgets and creatures inhabit the game. You defeat them by jumping on their heads or simply throwing boxes at them. As soon as you annihilate the enemy, you often get a bonus. But be careful because some robots leave dangerous bombs behind with the bonuses that could explode causing you to lose one of your lives.

Sky Taxi 2 Storm 2012 contains a wealth of bonuses. You collect coins, sweets and power-ups as you work through the levels. The game's Help shows the possibilities of bonuses such as superpowers. For example, “Time Bonus” freezes all the enemies for a set time, “Fly Bonus” lets you fly and “God Bonus” makes you temporarily invincible.

Moreover, Sky Taxi 2 Storm 2012 features lots of hidden items and secret areas. Sometimes you need to find a special path or door to enter a secret room. It may contain treasure chests, coins or sweets. Try jumping on all of the clouds because it often leads to a secret place or hold “Hearts” that give you an extra life. But don't overdo the jumping and hopping! If you fall from a high cloud, you might get hurt.

Plenty of fund features await in Sky Taxi 2 Storm 2012. For example, you can hide in a small house and wait until the enemy passes by. Some levels have a pavilion that you can enter to play an arcade mini-game. The mini-game objectives vary. One has you collecting as many coins as you can to evade enemies while in another you join Boss Battles.









Reference accessed HERE Jan 5th 2013









You can find user reviews of Sky Taxi 2 HERE





System Requirements:


Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista/ 7

CPU: 800MHz

System RAM: 256Mb

DirectX version: 8.0 or higher










Video and Image slideshow:

You’ll find videos of game play HERE, HERE (spoiler), HERE, HERE
and HERE (spoiler - rare secret items)

You can see a slideshow of around 30 images HERE




Music:

You can change the music by swapping the music files via the following path. You will need to rename each file and convert them to the .ogg format:


C:\Program Files (x86)\Alawar\Sky Raxi 2 Storm 2012\World\MAIN\music

Conclusion:

This is an excellent platform game, with cartoon like graphics and loads of secrets to u8ncover, so much so, you'll probably have to replay the game at leat a couple of times to discover everything. It resembles the original (which was given away early last year) so much that nothing's innovative, and this is the game's only shortcoming. While not innovative, the game improves on the original with its more polished graphics supported by satisfying sound and visual effects. Despite being an arcade game, it's a smooth play that sucks you in further with every new level and challenge. Unlike most arcade games, the 'charming' game charm manages to make you feel relaxed.






Scoring

Gameplay – 8
Graphics – 8
Audio – 7
Re-playability – 8
Originality – 6

Average Total = 7.4








Problems:

If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums in the game discussion section. If you’ve installed the game but it won’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at another time. Unfortunately if your problem is actually installing it then once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done until the game is given away again (though that isn’t guaranteed).



If you have any problems installing or getting to work today's game please go HERE for help.



It’s always worth checking out the free games sites as sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them. MyPlayCity has the most with over 600 games to choose from. Today's game IS available from MyPlayCity HERE as well as the FIRST (which was given away last year) and the THIRD in the series. :)

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Games, Games, and yet more Gamesl>:




If you're looking for something other than today's game check the didimatic site via THIS link for some brilliant deals.

There are several other deals available from Steam for example the latest version of Painkiller called Hell & Damnation (free weekend plus 66% off if you purchase), and 66% off the excellent dungeon crawling RPG Legend of Grimrock. Today's 24hr deal is Super Meat Boy a tough as nails platformer where you play as an animated cube of meat who's trying to save his girlfriend (who happens to be made of bandages) from an evil fetus in a jar wearing a tux. (Same developer that created the brilliant platformer Gish where a lump of Tar had to save his girlfriend from evil doers in the underworld of sewers. Both games are brilliant), with 75% off (£3 plus or £1.25 for the sound track) There's also loads of deals from Gamersgate, Gamestop, Greenman Gaming and GOG; all of which you can find via the Didimatic site, which I've linked to above (apart from Greenman gaming. Check out GMG because they have some excellent deals spread over the weekend. You can get 66% off Hitman absolution tomorrow, plus there are loads of other excellent deals such as Worms Reloaded GOTY edition, Quantum Conundrum, Awesomenauts, Scary Girl, Mini Ninjas, Strike suit Zero and Dragonborn to name some of them. You'll find the weekend deals THIS




The usual monthly free game from Alawars game box is now Sprill. You may need to reinstall game box if its still showing the previous game (Finding Doggy). It's supposed to change every month, but some community members are seeing the same game for months on end. Dido suggested that you reinstall game box to fix the problem. Reinstalling game box shouldn't affect any previous freebies. :). (You need to install the free Gamebox from Alawar to access the free games, which for newcomers change approximately every month). If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles or the four day sales at IndieGameStand.



Check out the Game discussion forums HERE for details of any Indie Game Bundles that are still live. At the moment there's a new Indie Royale Evolved Bundle, with five games plus dlc for one of them and two soundtracks (Unmenchanical, The Path, Krater + dlc, Sugar Cube: Bittersweet Factory and OIO, you get Steam and /or Desura keys for most of them plus drm free copies. also the bundle Stars is still active with even more Steam games (Unstoppable Gorg, Stellar Impact, Twin Sector, Dead Horde, future Wars, Greed: Black Border, Grotesque Tactics, Trapped Dead, Grotesque Tactics 2 and Trauma all with Steam keys and drm free copies. Bundle Stars are also giving anyone who missed the first bundle an opportunity to get it now. The first Bundle Stars included Men of War: Vietnam, Off-Road Drive, Reign: Conflict of Nations, Death Track: Resurrection, Star Wolves 2, Real Warfare 1242 and Real Warfare 2: Northern Crusades.

Finally, there's a new Greenlight bundle. to those who don't know what Greenlight means, its games that have been put forwards for inclusion into Steam. The community vote for the games they like. if they get enough votes the games are added to Steam. If you purchase a greenlight bundle you are getting loads of games dirt cheap and, if any do make it onto Steam ( at least 50% should definitely IMO), you will get Steam keys. The latest bundle includes Paranormal a Haunting simulator, Beware Planet Earth! a time management tower defence game, Hairy Tales a tile-dragging Puzzler + n Soundtrack, Dwarf Quest a casual Dungeon Crawler, Depth Hunter a spearfishing simulator, Potatoman Seeks the Troof a 8 bit platformer, Megabyte Punch a fighting/beat 'm up, Gear Jack a pretty side scrolling platformer and Aeon Command a strategy space warfare game.

I've posted images and video of game play for most of these bundles over in the forums. Click on the Game discussion forums to find all of the active bundles easily. The Groupees bundle and the Indie Gala bundles ended yesterday and the day before, but there are still loads to check out. there's even a freeware bundle available. :).

These bundles give you the opportunity to get a lot of great games for almost nothing (the price of a cappuccino at your local coffee shop)

The latest game from Indie GameStand (they have a new indie game every four days) is Vitrium a 3D, first person, puzzle/platform game. You can get the game and extras for less than $2 or just the game for a dollar.


You'll find more platform games for free over at MyPlayCity, Gametop and FreeGamePick, though there's no specific listing for platformers, you will need to look under arcade games. Please be aware that these sites may add toolbars and home page hijacks to your web browser, but these can be avoided by un-checking the appropriate boxes during installation. Also when you close any of their games down, your browser is opened and directed to the sites home page. This is innocuous so don’t worry. Closing the page ends any connection and nothing is downloaded.

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A Request for helpl>:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen

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